The city uses the county's armored vehicle more often than the county uses it and Fowler said it is time for the city to have its own.

Councilors voted unanimously with little discussion.

Councilor-at-large Helen Hudson said she saw the BearCat in use twice in incidents on South Avenue and Geddes streets in the city. Both times, the protection of an armored vehicle allowed SWAT teams under fire to get close to buildings. In one incident, she said police were able to rescue children from the home.

Hudson said she takes seriously community concerns about government threats to civil liberties.

"I'm not going to dismiss any concerns about that," she said. "But at some point, I see what's taking place out here in the communities too and it is almost like a war zone. So when you're dealing with those type of situations, you have to have the technology and everything you need to be able to address it."

Before the vote, Councilor-at-large Jean Kessner said she would encourage the police department to also look for grant funding for community policing as they research grant opportunities for an armored vehicle.

The county's BearCat is a fully-armored vehicle built to stop high velocity rounds. It weighs 18,320 pounds (or 9 ¼ tons) and is equipped with bullet-proof windows, gun turrets and wheels that continue to roll even after hit with bullets.

In the video above, Sgt. John Stephens gives a tour of Onondaga County's BearCat.